A laryngoscope is a device, typically comprising a handle and a blade, which is used by clinicians during tracheal intubation and that assists with intubation by allowing the clinician to visualise the path of the endotracheal tube as it passes through the glottis towards the trachea.
Typically, tracheal intubation begins with the blade inserted into the corner of the patient's mouth. The blade is shaped such that a flange will push the tongue to the left side of the oropharynx to create space in the oropharynx through which a view of the larynx will be sought. The epiglottis is visualised. The laryngoscope handle is manipulated so that the blade lifts the epiglottis directly with the blade or indirectly with the curved blade thereby exposing the laryngeal inlet in normal patients. The endotracheal tube is then advanced past the vocal cords into the trachea.
Due to the contact of the laryngoscope blade with bodily fluids, the equipment must be thoroughly sterilized between uses and sterilization procedures are time-consuming and costly. Alternatively, in order to eliminate cross-contamination between patients, the blade may be covered during use with a disposable sleeve as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,347,995. However, the sleeve can become easily detached from the blade and prevent the clinician from properly performing the intubation. Another option is to use a detachable blade which is disposed of after each use. The proximal part of the blade is typically attached to the handle by means of pins, screws or bolts.
During intubation, the clinician will direct the laryngoscope with one hand and introduce the tracheal tube with the other and it is essential that the laryngoscope is easy to handle. In addition, the presence of protruding connecting parts can potentially injure or scratch the patient's anatomy both during intubation and removal of the laryngoscope. The removal of small parts such as bolts, pins or screws is fiddly and such small parts can easily be lost. Moreover, the connecting parts themselves may retain impurities such as blood and other bodily fluids that can harden and become increasingly difficult to remove and sterilisation becomes necessary.
It is an object of this invention to mitigate problems such as those described above.